The Mage's Jump

by Marvelous Cheshire

Prologue part 3: Getting Home

THE MAGES JUMP
BY GENOSABER
PROLOGUE PART 3/3

The week leading up to the return of the high priestess went by without problem. The locals didn’t seem to overreact to Twilight, and their questions were pretty much answered with the Chaos Seed. Twilight had taking an interest in the history and magic of the world, something both Trace and Arcana were more than happy to inform her about. Twilight also learned that Trace had more or less raised Arcana, as their father, one of the most powerful paladins the Order had ever seen, had died on a mission a few months before she was born, and their mother, who worked as a preschool teacher, died giving birth to Arcana. Their grandmother, despite helping to care for them when she could, was often busy, and unable to make time to take care of Arcana when she was an infant, leaving Trace and a few older members of the Order to take care of her. Arcana told Twilight just how protective Trace could be, making sure no one hurt her as she was growing up. Seeing how they acted together, Twilight couldn’t help but remember her own brother, a thought which brought a smile to her lips as she remembered all the times they had played together when she was younger.

Along with learning about the world she was in, Twilight continued to tell the siblings about her world. Arcana took interest in the political aspects, primarily the two living deities that ruled together, while trace found the historical and magical parts the most captivating, citing the aspect of ‘cutie-marks’ to be a rather strange prospect. Arcana practically freaked when she learned that Twilight was the personal student of the older Princess, startling Twilight and bringing another spike of pain to Trace's eardrums.

Between the festival, the talks, and everything they did together over the week, Twilight and Trace seemed to grow closer each day, spending time together even when they weren’t talking about their worlds. This development didn’t go unnoticed by Arcana. While she was happy her brother had found something that made him happy again, she couldn’t stop herself from frowning at the thought of what was to come. One one hand, Twilight wasn’t from their world and friends and family in Equestria to return to, while Trace normally only talked to her, their grandma, and people that came by to buy potions or get an enchantment placed of something, he would likely become depressed after she returned to own world. On the other hand, she remembered the vision the High Priestess told her about, ‘A being from another world, brought by the claws of discord, will bring about change to their lives, and the fate of the archmage will never be the same’. She wondered what the vision meant at first, but in the past she was able to piece together a basic idea on its meaning. Twilight was the being, ripped from her home by a Chaos Seed , a fragment of the god of discord, the archmage was obviously Trace, who held the title of title of archmage of the black circle, but the mention of fate and change only served to bring a frowned to her face. Sighing in defeat, Arcana decided to confront her grandma before the ritual, and get her answers then.

---

(Trace’s POV)

(Location- Cornelia Cathedral, central chamber)

We stood nervously as we waited for the high riestess to arrive. The three of us got to the cathedral about a hour ago, and the old hag had yet to show. Glancing over to my companions, I noticed they weren't doing much better than me. Arcana seemed lost in thought, I remembered her muttering something about needing to talk to grandma about, but she hadn’t said anything to me. Twilight, for her part, seemed to be doing a decent impression of a mouse that's been cornered by a groups of cats, eyes shifting left and right, taking in the several dozen people all staring at us intently. I reached down and put a hand her neck, hoping to calm her down. After a second, she stopped and looked up at me, I offered her a weak smile, which seemed to ease her nerves a bit. With that done, I focused on getting my own thoughts under control. I’m wasn’t nervous because of the ritual, or being surrounded by people I know nothing about, no I was nervous about meeting my grandma face to face. I won’t lie, I love my grandma despite the things I might say about her, but she scares the shit out of me.

Before you break out in laughter, let me explain. My grandmother is not only the head of the Order, but also the matriarch of the Reinhart clan, meaning that for my entire family, both close and distant relatives, her word is law. If she wished she could have me removed from our family, which would mean I’d be unable to ever associate myself with any family members. I know she’d never do it, she’s always had a soft spot towards closer relatives, but she’s not one to abuse power. I’d have to do something horrible to warrant her even considering it, so there’s nothing for me to really worry about.

Of course, I still can’t shake the feeling something’s going to happen today that will change my life forever.

“ANNOUNCING THE ARRIVAL OF THE HIGH PRIESTESS, LADY SERA REINHART!” the page finally shouted. We turned our attention to the huge double doors before us as they swung open. From the other side, an old woman standing about five feet tall, dressed in elegant white robes with gold trimming, her face covered, calmly made her way toward us. Both me and my sister tensed up and took a second to make sure our uniforms are in check. I straightened my hat and look down at my tabard, a simple design, black with a grey outline and a black pentacle pointing upward. Seeing no problem, I turned my attention back to the old woman just in time to see her stop in front of us. She started with Arcana, looking over her with a scrutinizing gaze, taking in every detail and looking for anything out place. Seeing nothing, she gave a nod in approval before turning to me. She repeated the process, going over each spot twice before giving her usual snort and looking me in the eyes.

“You look good, for a twig,” she said with a smirk, starting off our regular method of greeting.

“And you look lovely, for a wrinkly old prune,” I replied, making Twilight’s head snap towards me, a look of shock on her face. Arcana, on the other hand, seemed to be having trouble holding in her laughter.

Granny just rolled her eyes, before adopting a pleasant smile. “It’s good to see you again child, you don’t visit enough.” I adopted a smile of my own, dropping my official posture in favor of my normal relaxed state.

“That because you’re either too damn busy to take visitors, or off on business overseas.” She nodded at my statement, before turning her attention to the mare in the center.

“This her?” she asked, to which I nodded. “Greetings child, my grandson said your name’s Twilight Sparkle, is that right?” Twilight gulped nervously before nodding in conformation, which brings a small frown to granny’s face. “Now child there’s no need to be nervous, I ain’t gonna bite cha.” Twilight nodded again before mustering up the courage to speak.

“Sorry ma'am,” she said, to which granny simply smiled and waved her hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, and you can call me granny, everyone does,” she said, before turning and walking back toward the door. “Come on, lets find somewhere more private to talk.”

After getting Twilight onto my back, we followed granny through a long hallway before entering a small room, not much larger than my den. I put Twilight down on one of the couches and sat down next to her. Arcana sat in a chair to my left, while granny took the couch across from me. We waited for a few seconds before granny decided to speak up.

“So Twilight, tell me about yourself,” she said, catching Twilight off guard. She remained silent for a moment, before telling granny about her life in Equestria, her training under the Princess, her friends, and lastly how she came upon the Seed. Throughout it all, granny remained silent, keeping a neutral expression. Once Twilight finished, granny waited several seconds before speaking.

“You’ve been through quite an experience, I’m glad to see you’re taking this so well, normally people have a mental breakdown when they get put through this,” she said before turning her attention to me and Arcana. “I before we get step up, I’m sure you have questions, I would like to talk to both of you in private. Arcana, if you could come with me to the room next door, I’ll answer any questions you have.” Arcana nodded and followed granny out the door, leaving me and Twilight alone.

---

(Arcana’s POV)

As we entered the room, I take a deep breath to calm myself before granny speaks.

“I suppose you’re wondering about that vision I told you about before huh?” she asks to which I nodded.

“I see that the ‘being’ is Twilight, and Trace is the archmage, but I wanted to know about the part mentioning ‘change’ and ‘fate’, what does it mean?” I struggled to keep my voice in check, but I could tell by the look on her face that I didn’t do a very good job.

“Before I tell you, has he been showing signs of affection towards her, have they been growing closer each day?” I nodded. She paused for a moment before continuing. “Then that confirms it, The vision said that the being would carry with her the spark that a past loved one once barred.” My eyebrows shot up and I opened my mouth to speak, but granny stops me. “Yes child, I’m speaking of Laura, both her and that mare carry in them a spark that made Tace fall for them, a love of knowledge, a habit to act without thinking at times, and most importantly, the will to do what is right, even if everyone says otherwise. I didn’t tell you the full prophecy because I knew you’d figure out what that meant, and if you told Trace, he might end up doing something stupid and wind falling into a depression he’ll never come of.” I tried and find the right words, but my mind drew a blank. Finally, I forced the words out of my mouth.

“So what is he supposed to do?” I already knew the answer, but I hoped she would say otherwise. Sadly that's not the case.

“I’m gonna get him to go with her back to her world, he’ll be happier there. He might miss us, but his future will be better off.” At her words, I fell back into a chair, my legs giving out as I tried to wrap my head around what she just said.

“Are you telling me he’s going to another world, that I’ll never see my brother again,” I said as tears form in my eyes. Granny put a hand on my chin, lifting my head till her eye meet mine, a sad smile on her face.

“Tell me Arcana, what do you feel Trace should do, answer not with your head, but with your heart. What do you feel is best?” I choked back a sob before taking a second to mull over her Question. Wiping my tears away I looked back to granny and answered quietly.

“If going with Miss Sparkle will make Trace happy, then that’s what he should do, I’ll be sad that he’s gone, but it’s been so long since he’s been this happy, and that more than enough for me. He’s taken care of me all my life, made sure I was always happy, it’s time I started living for myself, and help Trace find happiness in his own life.” As I spoke, my voice slowly became more stable, Saying the words out loud strengthened my resolve, I knew it to be true, but I’ve been to scared to accept it. Granny looked at me and nodded before turning to the door.

“Could you send your brother in, after that I want you to go help set the ritual up, the book should be in my study.” I nodded and made my way out, a look of resolve on my face, and a clear goal in my heart.

---

(Trace)

As I entered the room, I found granny sitting at a table, she gestured for me to take a seat across from her and waited for me before starting.

“I going to be straightforward, know you’ve been growing close to the mare, and she feels the same about you. I have discussed it with Arcana and have come up with a plan that I would like you to hear.” I blinked at her sudden tone, normally she either acts grumpy or jokes around for a bit, but she jumped straight to the point. I motioned for her to continue, intent on hearing what she has to say.

“As Miss Sparkle will be unable to stay here in our world, I will be able open a portal that will allow you to go with her.” My eyes widened at her suggestion, and a feeling in the back of my head forces the words out of my mouth before I even realize it.

“This is because of a vision, isn’t it?” I said with a hint of anger in my voice. This wasn’t the first time she’s kept secrets from, and the last time ended with my wife in a grave.

“Yes, if you go will her, you’ll have a happy life, but if you stay, there’s a chance you’ll end up in a depression like never before. I am sorry I kept this from you Trace, I know you hate when I do that, but you know why I did it.” I nodded in agreement, if I had known about Laura's fate, I would have ended up dying instead, and both Laura and Arcana would have suffered a fate far worse. Looking back up, I decided to just accept it and move on.

“So then, what do you need me to do, and what will happen to Arcana?” She sighed in relief that I didn’t argue and paused for a moment before answering.

“As for Arcana, you and I both know she can take care of herself, and I’ll still be here to keep her out of trouble. What I want you to do is go home and pack your books and tools up, you’ll need them.” She pulled up a large messenger bag and passed it to me. “this bag has an enchantment on it, it will hold all your stuff, and won’t gain an ounce in weight. The ritual will be ready by sundown. You and Twilight head home and pack, I need to go help Arcana prepare the ritual.” I nodded and headed for the door. returning to the other room, I found Twilight asleep on the couch. I gave a gentle shake to wake her, and stared up at me with a look of confusion when she saw the bag.

“I’ll explain on the way, lets head back to the house, granny said everything should be ready by sundown.” She nodded and got on my back. Once she’s on, I headed out the door and made my way home.

The walk back was fairly quiet and I waited until we’re about two blocks from my house before I spoke. I told her about what my grandma said and what I planned to do. She was surprised but didn’t say anything. We both knew how we felt about each other, but decided to reject it because of the outcome, she was going to leave, and it would only serve to hurt both of us in the end. With this new development, I decided to bring up the topic and see how she feels.

“Miss Sparkle, while we don’t talk about it, I believe we have both come to have feelings for one another, correct?” My question caught her off guard, and even though I couldn’t see her face, I knew she was blushing by the way her body tensed up.

“Y-yes that's true.” She said meekly as we reach my house. I waited till we were inside before continuing.

“While we would not be able to act on those feelings with the original plan, This new factor changes things.” I entered the den and set Twilight down on the couch before sitting beside her, a smile forming as I continued. “I admit I have not done this a long time, but I would like to know if you would like to pursue a relationship when we get to your world.” When I finished speaking Twilight took a second to think about it, before looking back at me, a smile forming on her lips.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she said, I offered a smile before heading to my room to began packing. In the main pocket, I put my spare robe, along with my shirts, pants and everything else I have in my dresser. I also grabbed my staff, a hunk of ironwood a little over six feet long with a tight spiral curve at the top, and a mithril dirk about fifteen inches in length. I threw them both in the bag along with my tabard and belt. lastly, I pulled out a wood box about two feet long, one foot wide, and four inches tall. Once that's in the bag, I made my way to the work room.

I didn’t waste a second, grabbing pretty much everything and packing it up before cramming it into a second pocket on the bag. I knew there was no point in leaving anything, as Arcana has no skill or interest in making potions, but that's because she has her magic to heal her, I don’t. As I put the last of the potions in a side pouch, I keep one Out and down it to give me a boost before putting the empty vial away and heading for the kitchen.

I didn’t take much out of the kitchen, just a few bags of spices and a copy of my personal recipe guide, leaving a second one for Arcana. I took out a pot of leftover tomato soup from the fridge and turn a low flame on to heat it up, me and Twilight might as well eat before we go. I checked the clock on the wall, 5:30, that leaves us about a hour and a half before we need to go.

I returned to the den and begin loading books into the last pocket, Arcana kept all her tomes in her room, so I didn’t need to worry about taking any of them. The last thing I put in is my photo album, but not before using magic to create a perfect copy to leave for Arcana. With all that done, I tossed my hat in the first pocket and threw the bag on a chair. I took a seat by Twilight, who leaned into me as I released a breath, I wrapped my arm around her before speaking.

“I never want to do that again, Its a pain.” Twilight giggled in response. I looked down at her and smile, which she returned in instantly.

“What we do now?” she asked.

“Now, we sit wait, I put the leftover soup of the stove and it should be ready in a few minutes. After we eat, we can just lay here and rest before sundown. Then, we go back have granny perform the ritual to open a portal to Equestria.” She nodded and we remained silent until I went and fixed a bowl of food for both of us. We ate quickly, taking a second serving before moving to lay down on the couch, Twilight in my arms with her head on my chest. We layed there for an hour before the alarm spell I placed went off, indicating it was Time to go. I threw the bag on and helped Twilight onto my back and heading out the door.

We arrived at the cathedral fifteen minutes later. Arcana was waiting for us in the main room and after a quick greeting, she lead us down the hall to the ritual chamber. Before we entered the chamber Arcana stopped and turned to me, a sad smile on her face.

“I take it granny told you?” I nodded before allowing her to continue. “I’m going to miss you, but I know this is for the best. Just Promise me you won’t forget about me okay.” I smiled at her and pulled her into a hug with my left arm.

“I couldn’t forget you if I wanted to sister.” She wiped a tear from her eye and smiled again. “I left a copy of my recipes in the kitchen and a copy of the photo album for you in the den. I’ll miss you too Arcana, take care of yourself.” She nodded and opened the door.

The ritual chamber was, to put simply, dark. Only a few candles along the walls provide light. granny stood at the other end of the room in front of a large summoning circle. To her right, a blonde hair woman wearing the clothes of a Devout. To her left is a man in green dress robes, a summoner. Arcana took her place to right of the man and I stood between her and the devout. Once we’re in place, granny spoke up.

“The portal we are about to open is to Miss Twilight Sparkle home world. Using a bit of her energy, we will build a bridge connecting our world to hers.” She turned to me before continuing. “Trace, in order to make the portal strong enough to allow both you and Miss Sparkle through, we’ll need you to help by pouring your magic into spell.” I nodded, and she turned her attention the the summoner. “Before we begin, I believe you had something to give Trace, Isaac?” He nodded and pulled out a pair of boots before walking over and handing them to me.

“Pegasus boots, they should be useful in your arrival.” I accepted them with a nod and carefully took my old boots off and put the new ones on, Twilight managing to stay on my back the whole time. slipping the old boots into my bag, I retook my place at the circle and nodded to granny, who nodded in return before speaking again.

“Okay then, everyone ready?” We all nodded. “Lets begin.” At that, we all began pouring our magic together into the center of the circle. I had to use both my hands, forcing Twilight tighten her hind legs around my waist. the devout muttered an incantation, causing a speck of light to appear on Twilight’s horn, before bolting into the center, expanding till it reached the edge of the circle. slowly images began to appear in the portal. A forest, a village with ponies walking about, buying produce, going into stores or just enjoying the day. I heard Twilight gasp, and glanced back to see her staring at the portal intently, recognition written on her face. We continued channeling for several minutes before granny turned to me and yelled.

“The Portals ready! hurry up and go dammit!”

With a final nod, I lowered my arms and jumped into the circle. The last thing I heard was Twilight yelling something in my ear before to light of the portal overwhelmed us.

Comments

[Marvelous Cheshire]

This is the last chapter I've written so far, I won't get around to writing till Friday or Saturday.

On a related note, I've considered writing a few side-story style chapters from time to time, focusing on events mentioned in previous chapters (such as the scene were Trace dueled the elf). Let me know if you'd like to see this kind of stuff, and I'll see what I can do.

[Derpy_Dragon]

The relationship between Twilight and Trace in this chapter seems a bit rushed and comes out of nowhere. All we got was the narrator saying they became closer and a few characters talking about it, not a single scene actually showing it happen. An entire chapter could of been devoted just to the festival they went to and would of been a good opportunity to show them start to fall for each other. I guess it could be done with some flashbacks in latter chapters, but showing it as it happens would be preferable to after the fact.

Setting that aside, I do like the rest of the story so far. The Chaos Seeds and the mysterious sender leave allot of options open for where the story can go.

Looking forward to more.

[Marvelous Cheshire]

2203037 Yeah, I just wanted to keep the 'Prologue arc' as short as positive, I'll probably write a few chapters later.

As for the sender, lets just say it was someone from Traces past.

[Bytestorm]

2225064 Alright, fair enough.

My question though is why not just include it in the prologue itself? When I saw the chapter title, I expected an Interlude of Celestia worrying for Twilight's safety, not to be thrown back in time. It all came off rather jarring.

Do you happen to have a proofreader to bounce ideas and structure thoughts off of?

EDIT:: Ah lol, just noticed the restructuring you did, then please ignore my first question.

[Marvelous Cheshire]

2225094 I wanted the prologue to as short as possible, not that much happened between part 2 and 3, I have 1 Interlude more planned that takes place in that time frame, and might do one with the Princess at some point.

[light snow]

I wanted tears